My earliest memory of eating naan is my uncle and aunt's anniversary. As a treat they had taken all of us children to the dinner at the most luxurious hotel in my hometown of Cuttack - Hotel Akbari. I remember as a kid I was so excited throughout the entire time. My cousin and me were giggling the entire time before the food was served. My uncle is a connoisseur and he has a knack a ordering just the right thing in any restaurant. So we had an assortment of food that kept coming in. Much of what we ate baffles my recollection, but I do remember the Naan and the spicy Murgh makhani that accompanied. From that time onwards, this particular bread has become my favorite to have at special occasion. As a child, the making of this bread was fascinating to me. The kind of awe you get when you first see techniques of smoking or sousvide or even poaching and you are curious to find out its mechanism.Then of course the author grew up and figured out the process behind the making of this bread. And the revelation was very satisfying to her cooking spirit. The making of this bread took a lot of tries and a lot of patience in the test kitchen but finally I think I have hit upon the perfect recipe.
The second memory - the current one - that inspired the current making of this recipe was the one of the episode of My Kitchen Rules. Four years ago, the author in search of cooking shows like Top Chef came upon two other shows that have had a great impact on her cooking inspiration and skill. One of them was the aforementioned show. Though the quality has come down over the years, it still is a good place to find the next new inspiration. And recently in a showdown round one of the teams made butter chicken, dal and tried to make their own naan. And the author decided to finally make her memories a reality. Making bread is a science. You need to adhere to certain measurements and certain procedures in order to make the most crispy and flaky bread. So in this particular recipe I urge you to follow the recipe to the tee for the first time. Once, you have the hang of the process, you can make your own adjustments and your own flavor combinations. So, good luck.
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
1tbsp sugar
1tsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup youghurt
1/2 cup milk
1tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic chopped
Method:
First get your mise-en-place ready. First mix the yeast with warm water and keep it aside for half an hour. When you are ready to make your dough, mix the dry ingredients together - the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
In a separate bowl mix the yoghurt and the milk. Add it to the flour and then add the yeast mix. Mix everything together until a sticky dough forms.
Remove the dough from the bowl and then knead it for five to eight minutes until a smooth dough forms. Remember, the kneading is important. Once the dough is done, put it back on the bowl and then cover with a wet towel. Rest for 2 hours. If you are making this for dinner, make this in the afternoon so the dough is ready by that time.
When you are ready to roll out the dough, chop some garlic and then mix it with the butter.
Dust the surface with flour. Make balls from the dough and roll out into your desired shape - circle or triangles. Rub one side with water and put that side into a hot pan. When the surface starts to bubble, turn it over.
When the naan has nice black spots, brush it with the garlic butter. Turn it over and serve it with a nice veg tikka masala or butter chicken. Serve hot.
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
1tbsp sugar
1tsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup youghurt
1/2 cup milk
1tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic chopped
Method:
First get your mise-en-place ready. First mix the yeast with warm water and keep it aside for half an hour. When you are ready to make your dough, mix the dry ingredients together - the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
In a separate bowl mix the yoghurt and the milk. Add it to the flour and then add the yeast mix. Mix everything together until a sticky dough forms.
Remove the dough from the bowl and then knead it for five to eight minutes until a smooth dough forms. Remember, the kneading is important. Once the dough is done, put it back on the bowl and then cover with a wet towel. Rest for 2 hours. If you are making this for dinner, make this in the afternoon so the dough is ready by that time.
When you are ready to roll out the dough, chop some garlic and then mix it with the butter.
Dust the surface with flour. Make balls from the dough and roll out into your desired shape - circle or triangles. Rub one side with water and put that side into a hot pan. When the surface starts to bubble, turn it over.
When the naan has nice black spots, brush it with the garlic butter. Turn it over and serve it with a nice veg tikka masala or butter chicken. Serve hot.
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